Musicians are no strangers to the Hudson Valley. Thanks to mainstay venues like the Bardavon, The Capitol Theatre, and UPAC, top performers weave in and out of the region every week. Less common, however, are artists who live and create in the region. Songwriters go to entertainment capitals like Los Angeles and New York to compose their tunes; they don’t stay in the Valley.
Five Kill Records is here to change that. The new record label, based in upstate New York, is the fusion of five local labels into one diverse collective. The group unites B3nson Recording Company, Swordpaw Collective, Collar City Records, The Rev Records, and Bee Side Cassettes, all of which are based in the Albany/Troy region. In honor of their shared roots, the groups named the initiative after the confluence of the five rivers — Rutten Kill, Vosen Kill, Beaver Kill, Normans Kill, and Patroon Creek — that define Albany’s geography.
As a not for profit operation, the group focuses its efforts on supporting the growth of up and coming artists.
Photo by Five Kill Records
According to a statement from the label, the “aim is to support musicians and aid in developing their careers by providing ideas, support, and access to music industry services to enrich the region’s creative economy.”
Although Five Kill is new to the music industry, its members are not. Over the past ten years, the team of creatives dropped over 200 albums and produced Restoration Festival, a music festival in Troy.
The label released its first album on April 13 with The Parlor’s third LP, Kiku. Stay tuned for upcoming releases from Bear Grass, Blue Ranger, Neighborhood of Make Believe, Onlyness (Rick Spataro of Florist), and Rechorduroys.
Listen to their Spotify playlist below!
